If you have been following the Android news lately, then you must have heard about the two new phones from Google that everyone is talking about. Google has now pivoted from the Nexus series to the Pixel series of Android smartphones. This could also mean that the company will be branding all of its new Android phones with the Google logo and abandoning Nexus. So the first two devices in the Google’s brand new series are the Google Pixel and the Pixel XL. Both these devices are manufactured by HTC which also cooperated in launching the popular Nexus 9 for Google a couple of years ago. Considering the success and quality of the Nexus 9 tablet, Google has come up with two new phones this year in collaboration with HTC. Though the hardware is outsourced, the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones are very much Google products as the devices are designed by the tech giant itself. Moreover, you will now see a Google branding as well. Plus, the Pixel phones will run the newest Android version 7.1 Nougat before any other phone in the world.

According to the @evleaks‘ recent twitter post, sharper images of the Pixel XL have been leaked. These are by far the clearest images available right now. It features a decent looking front panel and a simple new Google UI with a new set of icons.

Moreover, the rear images of Google Pixel have already been rendering across the internet. It consists of a darker metallic patch surrounding the camera and the fingerprint scanner. It also reveals the Google branding at the back.

We already have the Google Pixel launcher which was renamed from Nexus launcher. Th Pixel launcher is a successor or could be called as an alternative to the Google Now launcher as well. The new Google UI can be tested right away using the Pixel Launcher. It will give you the feel of Google’s new UI revolution and a taste of the future of Android.

Google Pixel & Pixel XL specifications

If rumors are to be believed, then the smaller Google Pixel will sport a 5.2 inch full HD display whereas, the larger Pixel XL will come with a 5.5-inch screen fitted with a QHD panel. Moreover, the Pixel will run on Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 supported by a whopping 4 GB of RAM and flagship Google Pixel XL will feature the latest Snapdragon 821 processor unit from the major mobile chip manufacturer Qualcomm. For high-quality gaming, the phones possess Adreno 530 GPU and 4 GB of RAM which could make Nougat multitasking flawless.

As far as the storage is concerned, then Google has now skipped the 8 GB and 16GB variants due to too low of a storage capacity for modern smartphones. Hence, the Pixel phones will come in 3 variants ranging from 32 GB to 128 GB and no micro SD card support. Connectivity options range from the latest Bluetooth & WiFi modules, NFC, DLNA, USB OTG support, Android Pay, and USB Type-C for faster transfer.

Moving towards the software specifications, the two Pixel 2016 editions will come with a new Android 7.1 Nougat update out of the box; featuring the latest October 1, 2016, security patch level. As of now, the latest AOSP source consists of Android 7.0 Nougat and runs on almost all the Nexus series devices.

As per reports, new camera features are to be expected with the Google phones and also with the new Android OS version 7.1. The camera from Nexus series has never been a point to brag about. Other brands like Samsung, LG, Sony have better camera modules than the Nexus ones. However, Pixel is reported to change that and bring some fine camera specifications into the market. Though not much is known about the camera specification at the moment, the Pixel phones may sport 12 MP rear camera and an 8 MP selfie unit.

Price of Google phones Pixel (XL) may start from $649

As opposed to the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P, that were launched with a price tag of $299 and $499 which were pretty reasonable, the Pixel series may come with a greater price tag. According to one of the writers from AndroidPolice, the Pixel XL will start from a price tag of $649 for the smaller Google Pixel. It is not clear whether the price tag is for the 32 GB variant or the 128 GB one.

Pixel phones launch date set on October 4 for US and Europe whereas October 5 for Asia

The launch of Google is set on October 4 and for those living in Asian countries, it will be October 5. You may sign up for the newsletter and get notified of the launch of Pixel phones from here. Moreover, Google also released a video featuring the same.